Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Warns Players of Outdated, Offensive Stereotypes

In Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered, players can experience three Lara Croft adventures that were originally released between 1996 and 1998. In the decades since, there's been a greater societal effort to avoid harmful cultural stereotypes. Some companies have actively avoided re-releasing this type of content, while others have chosen to release it as it originally existed, alongside warnings meant to inform the audience. It seems Crystal Dynamics and Aspyr have gone with the latter option for Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered. Players have noticed a disclaimer that's been added to the game, which reveals why these offensive depictions were kept intact.

"The games in this collection contain offensive depictions of people and cultures rooted in racial and ethnic prejudices. These stereotypes are deeply harmful, inexcusable, and do not align with our values at Crystal Dynamics," the statement reads. 

"Rather than removing this content, we have chosen to present it here in its original form, unaltered, in the hopes that we may acknowledge its harmful impact and learn from it."

What Content is Crystal Dynamics Warning Players About?

As of this writing, no further clarification has been provided by Crystal Dynamics or Aspyr. However, IGN speculates that the warning was provided as a result of content that appeared in Tomb Raider III. In that game, Lara visits the South Pacific island, Kuru. The natives in the game adhere to a number of unfortunate stereotypes, and are depicted as being cannibalistic. It seems like a very safe bet that these are the depictions Crystal Dynamics is addressing in its warning, and newcomers to the series should be aware of this sort of thing before purchasing the game. 

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered Platforms and Release Date

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered will be released February 14th on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The games in Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered can be played the way they originally released, or with remastered visuals created for this new collection. While the game is being released through Crystal Dynamics, the port was developed by Aspyr. The studio is best known for its work on a number of Star Wars remasters from the last few years, including Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Knights of the Old Republic, and Episode I: Racer. 

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered was first announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation last year. The collection marks the first time that these games have been made available on any Nintendo system, let alone Switch. It took Switch more than 6 years on the market, but last year marked Lara Croft's debut on the system. That came about via The Lara Croft Collection , which includes Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris.

Are you planning to check out Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered? Did you play these games when they originally released? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!